


A Distraction in South Gate Park

by FiveCentFanFics



Series: Fairy Tail 365 [2]
Category: Fairy Tail
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-14 12:07:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29418396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveCentFanFics/pseuds/FiveCentFanFics
Summary: With all of the madness and despair that has plagued the Fairy Tail guild lately, a surprise visit from Asuka turns into a much needed distraction for Lucy, Natsu, Happy and Levy.*This is part of Fairy Tail 365: Distractions, which is the second chapter of the series. I hope to have it finished soon, but until then enjoy this NaLu moment for Valentine’s Day
Relationships: Alzack Connell/Bisca Mulan, Natsu Dragneel/Lucy Heartfilia
Series: Fairy Tail 365 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2095227
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12
Collections: Fairy Tail Fantasies





	A Distraction in South Gate Park

Meanwhile, in the guildhall upstairs, Lucy Heartfilia has setup a temporary writing space within Levy McGarden's infirmary room. Due to Natsu's behavior, and the chance that he may try to sneak out of the hall once again, Lucy has been given the weekend off from assisting in the reconstruction of Magnolia to help keep an eye on the mischievous Fire Dragon Slayer. This meant that the curtains surrounding the two Fairy Tail females had to remain open all day while they were together, so that they could catch him if he walked past. Unfortunately for the concentrating Celestial wizard, this also meant there were several distractions.

“Lucy!”

The voice was so loud and high in pitch that Lucy jumped, causing her hand to jolt across the page she was working on. She looked over at Levy who had clearly been caught off guard as well as she leaned over the edge of the bed to retrieve the book she was reading. When Lucy looked toward the open entryway, she saw Asuka Connell being wrangled up by her father: Alzack. The tiny, excited girl was doing her best to wiggle out of his grasp while he calmly tried to explain to her why it's rude to just barge in on someone.

“Asuka, you have to calm down just a little bit, okay?”

“But Daaaaaddyyyyy! It's Lucy!”

“I know sweetie, but we really shouldn't just run in on peop-”

“No,” Bisca said as she limped into the room, “and we definitely shouldn't use our slingshot to shoot Mama in the leg when she isn't lookin'.”

“I'm sorry Mommy, but I was only practicing what you teached me!”

“I know ya were little sweet pea. Just try givin' me a warnin' the next time.”

“I will, I promise!”

“Hey,” Alzack said apologetically as he stepped forward, “we're real sorry about this. She's a little wound up from all the candy that Samuel gave her this morning.”

“You don't have to be sorry.” Lucy said with a smile, “I actually wouldn't mind taking a break if Asuka wants to go play at the park. And you two could go and give Samuel a hard time about the candy or take a break yourselves.”

“YAY! PLEASE CAN WE GO TO THE PARK?! MOMMY, DADDY PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE!”

“Oh,” Bisca said apprehensively, “no. We couldn't ask you to do that.”

“Yeah,” Alzack added, “especially not when she's this...energetic.”

“It's no trouble, really. I'm sure I could convince Porlyusica to let Natsu come with us so he can get some of his pent up energy out too. It's a win-win!”

“PLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAASE?!”

“We owe you!” The precious couple said in unison as they left the room in a somewhat hastened manner.

“YAYAYAYYAYAYAYYAYAYAY! WE'RE GOIN' TO THE PARK! LET'S GET THE HORSEY!”

Lucy laughed blissfully. “Whaddya say, Levy? Want to come with us?”

“Oh...I dunno, Luce. I don't think you're going to be able to charm Porlyusica into letting two of us out of the hall. Plus, with Gajeel bein-”

“Don't worry about him. From what I remember, he's a pretty tough warden, so he'll be done with that Wraith Overlord guy in no time. And I think you'd be surprised at how charming I can be.”

With a wink, Lucy turned on her heel and took Asuka's tiny hand in hers. They exited the room in a skip and made their way down the hall toward Makarov's space where they would no doubt find the healing mage. Levy leaned back in her bed and took a deep breath in, which caused her to wince in discomfort, and then breathed out slowly. Even though the bruising was now nearly unnoticeable, the damage from Cathal's attacks still lingered. She thought of Freed and wondered to herself how he was doing after the brutal ambush that led to their capture.

The sounds of Asuka and Natsu parading down the corridor snapped Levy's attention back into the present. The hyperactive Dragon Slayer galloped into the room with the overjoyed child on his shoulders. He came to a halt beside the bed and whinnied enthusiastically at the Sold Script mage.

“Are ya ready to go, Levy?”

“Hey!” Asuka yelled in response. “Horsies don't talk! Make more horsey noises, Natsu!”

“Neeeeeiiiiiiiiiigh!”

“Come on! We can be cowgirls together cause we're both little!”

Levy giggled as she stood up, but her facial expression changed to represent the discomfort she felt in her ribs. Natsu's eyes flickered slightly, so she smiled back at him in an effort to convey that she was fine. Lucy and Happy joined the trio just as they pulled the curtains closed and together the small group headed to South Gate Park.

On their way, Happy floated ahead, taking in the fresh air and sights of newly constructed buildings while Natsu stayed in character as Asuka's horse by trotting ahead of Lucy and Levy, and braying whenever someone passed by. The young girl was using the Fire Dragon Slayer's pink hair for reigns and bid everyone she saw a good morning. Behind them, the two Fairy Tail friends chuckled whenever Asuka would yank Natsu's hair back really far or when he would gently buck to send her into a fit of hysterical laughter. It was really a welcome distraction given all that had happened with Zeref, Acnologia, and now the Goblin Horn and Wraith Overlord guilds.

When the view of the giant tree within the park came into view, Natsu's head was pushed so hard forward that he nearly lost his balance while skipping down the walkway. With Happy's help, he quickly regained his footing and secured the child by pinning her thin legs down with his arms before continuing in a faster pace. Lucy jogged after the pair to try to prevent any more rough housing that could potentially lead to injury while Levy followed at her leisure. She watched as her beautiful, blonde friend caught up to them and pleaded with her teammate to slow down and be careful. Natsu obliged, much to the disappointment of Asuka, and placed the girl between him and Lucy. They each took one of her hands and started to descend the stairs that lead into the park while the blue Exceed remained airborne just above them.

_Awe! They look like a little family._

“Levy!” Lucy yelled from the base of the tree. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” Levy said as she took the first step, “sorry!”

Once she'd reached the ground below, Asuka rushed over while dragging Natsu behind her.

“Yay! Now we can play 'Rodeo'! Here, this is your horsey and Lucy is mine, okay?”

“Oh,” Levy said hesitantly, “okay. How do we play 'Rodeo'?” 

“It's easy peasy! We both ride our horsies and try not to fall off. You win if they don't buck you off!”

“Sounds easy enough. What does the winner get?”

“The winner gets...a tasty treat!”

“Well, that sounds really good. Alright, I'm ready when you are!”

“LUCY! YOUR MY HORSEY!”

“Wh-ME?!” She yelled over the space.

Happy chuckled wryly. “Yeah, Lucy. Now you can know what it feels like to have to carry someone around...but you're lucky she's not as heavy as you are.”

“WHAT WAS THAT, CAT?!”

The Celestial Spirit mage began to chase after the playful flying cat which seemed to excite Asuka even more. The cowgirl ran to catch Lucy who, after seeing the girl racing towards her, pretended to be a wild horse. Natsu watched them for a second as Happy snatched Asuka up to help in her attempt to capture the wild Lucy and then turned to Levy.

“Ya sure ya wanna play? It looked li-”

“I'm fine, really. It doesn't hurt too much anymore.”

“...okay. Let me know if it starts hurtin'. I don't need Gajeel pickin' a fight with me for gettin' ya hurt again.”

“I will, but...are you actually saying you don't want to fight someone?”

“Well not for hurtin' ya! I'll still beat him up anytime, any place...but just for fun.”

“That sounds more like you.” She said with light laugh. 

Lucy had finally allowed herself to be caught by Asuka and was told to get down on her hands and knees to be more like the real animal. Once she'd climbed onto Lucy's back and grabbed two thick sections of her hair, she urged her to go toward the others. Natsu mimicked Lucy's four-legged stance and motioned for Levy to sit while shaking his mane playfully. She imitated the small girl and pulled her legs out awkwardly once her Dragon Slayer steed began to walk forward.

When the two Fairy Tail ponies were directly in front of each other, the energetic horse rider instructed them to each walk ten steps away in their current direction, turn around so that they were all able to see one another, and then begin bucking on the count of three. Lucy sighed as she was tapped in the sides by Asuka's tiny feet and walked around Levy and Natsu. He crawled forward and, after his count, turned around to face the other two. Asuka was ready and began the countdown.

“ONE!”

“Wow,” Levy said in a surprised tone, “I know this is just a game, but I'm really nervous all of the sudden...”

“TWO!”

“Don't worry about it. I'll go easy on ya.”

“Thank you.”

“THREE!”

Levy watched as Lucy shift from side to side gently while the petite rodeo star on her back squealed in delight. Natsu had begun to walk in a small circle in an attempt to convince Asuka that he and Levy were fully participating in the game.

After nearly half an hour of being bucked around, Levy decided she wanted to sit and spectate rather than participate, so she pretended to fall off of her horse's back. Natsu rose to his feet and helped her off the ground before walking over to declare Asuka as the winner of the rodeo. 

Once Lucy was freed from the firm grip of her cowgirl, she walked over to sit next to Levy on the bottom step at the edge of the park. Happy returned Asuka to Natsu's shoulders, upon her instruction, and then the Fire Dragon Slayer began to gallop around the park. It appeared the new game was to try to capture the floating feline and it was more than amusing to witness.

“Isn't this way better than sitting in bed all day?” Lucy asked happily.

“Yeah, you were right LuLu. I needed this. I still don't know how you convinced Porlyusica to let us come though.”

“Well, like I said I'm pretty charming...but in all seriousness, I just told her that she needed a break from Natsu's...well just Natsu. She's been working so hard to help everyone...I just thought she could use some peace and quiet. And for you, I just mentioned that after everything you've been through, a distraction could be helpful...and she agreed.”

“You're always so thoughtful. Thank you for this, seriously. I hate to admit it, but...” She trailed off, afraid to say what was troubling her.

Lucy waited patiently for Levy to confide in her what everyone else had already guessed since her return. Going through something like this was bound to affect someone on more than a physical level.

“I just...”, she began again, shakily, “I feel uneasy. I thought I would be okay once I got back here, but...”

“Levy, after what you went through...I would be really worried if you were totally fine. Don't try to rush it, okay?”

Levy wiped the tears in her eyes away and nodded.

“Besides,” Lucy continued, “now that you and Gajeel are official, I'd imagine he'll be keeping an even closer eye on you.”

The blue haired girl's face turned scarlet. “Wh-I...heh...” She cleared her throat as her friend teased her.

“I don't think there'll be much time for him to be looking at me with everything going on...but I did notice someone else getting some stares today.”

Lucy gasped excitedly. “Who was it? Was it Evergreen? No wait! Come to think of it, lately I've noticed Laki and Max spending more time together when they aren't working.”

“It isn't any of them. The person I saw doing the staring today was Natsu, and the person he was looking at was you.”

“Wha-no. No way. You were definitely seeing things. Natsu doesn't just...gaze at people, especially not me.”

Levy smiled at Lucy's pink face and, for once, she understood what it was like to be in her shoes.

_She hasn't admitted it to herself yet. Well, that is the hardest part about falling in love with someone you're close to._

“I'm sorry. I thought I maybe something had happened between you two, but you're probably right. It's just that you two are so close, and I told you that my head isn't exactly in the right place. Besides that, Natsu doesn't really seem like the romantic type, does he?”

“No...” she said dreamily before snapping back into reality at the sight of the very person they were talking about coming down the stairs on the opposite side of the park, “It looks like they got the 'Rodeo' champion her sweet treat.”

“Hey guys.” The pink haired boy said sluggishly.

“You okay, Natsu?” Lucy asked as she stood up.

“He's fine.” Happy said while holding back a laugh. “He's just feelin' sleepy because he ate two whole strawberry shortcakes and then raced Asuka here.”

“And I won!” Asuka announced cheerfully.

“Geez Natsu!” Lucy exclaimed irritably. “You seriously ate two cakes by yourself?!”

“I couldn't help it, Luce. I had a piece and it was sooooo tasty...so I ate another one...and then I felt like runnin'.”

“So, basically, you had a sugar rush and now you're going to crash?”

Happy could no longer contain his laughter. “You shoulda seen him tryin' to keep up with me and Asuka! It was like he had motion sickness! His-legs-were-so-wobbly!”

The Fairy Tail group burst into a fit of cackling as the funny feline began to mimic his overfilled friend.

Another hour of fun and games passed before Bisca and Alzack arrived at the park to pick up their worn out daughter. Levy decided that she'd walk back to the guildhall with the married couple since it was now the afternoon and she wanted to check in on Gajeel. This left the aspiring author and her hot-headed partner sitting together with a now fast asleep Happy on Lucy's lap.

Natsu reached over to his side and pulled a plastic bag onto his lap. He untied the bag and grabbed a 'Magnolia Cake Shop' container that housed a piece of beautifully decorated lemon cake.

“What's that?” Lucy asked curiously.

“I got this for ya when we went to the cake shop earlier.”

“Lemon cake? That's my favorite.” 

“Yeah, I know. That's why I got it for ya. I have a piece of cheesecake in here for Levy too.”

“We can give it to her when we get back. Thank you, Natsu. This was...really thoughtful.”

“Eh. It's not a big deal. Figured ya'd like it.”

Lucy dug into her lemon cake as Natsu pulled out another piece of sweet smelling strawberry shortcake and did the same. She shook her head at his decision to eat even more cake after the amount he'd already consumed, but smiled sweetly. They sat there beside each other, munching away at their treats for several minutes before the Dragon Slayer turned towards her.

“I know what ya did for me, Lucy.”

“What are you...what do you mean?”

“Happy told me that ya rewrote the E.N.D.. That ya saved me.”

“Oh...I should've guessed he'd be the one to spill it...”

“Yeah, we don't keep secrets. That's why I know what coulda happened to ya...what almost did happen when ya messed with it. Why w-”

“If I didn't,” She unintentionally cut him off, “then you and I wouldn't be sitting here together right now. After everything we'd been through...it wasn't even a second thought, and honestly it wasn't as big of a deal as I'm sure he made it out to be.”

“He said if Gray hadn't been there that you would've been gone.”

“Natsu, if I didn't do i-”

“I know, and it's a big deal to me. I mean, ya risked your life to save mine. I don't know how to thank ya.”

“You always risk your life to save everyone else, including me, so I figured I owed you one. If you really wanna thank me, then please just take it easy on Porlyusica until she lets you actually leave the guildhall.” 

“Hey, it's not my fault the old lady is keepin' me in there...but, I'll stop botherin' her about it.”

“Thanks. She's been working really hard to help Master and Juvia...and everyone. I just think it'd be nice to make things a little easier for her.”

“You're right.” He said as he picked up the cheesecake and his sleeping pal.

He stood and reached his hand out to Lucy. She took it and when she'd gotten up from her spot on the steps she tried to free her hand. When Natsu didn't release it, she looked up at him questioningly. He looked back at her with a very serious expression and then hugged her tightly.

“Just so ya know,” he whispered tenderly, “me riskin' my life is different to me than you riskin' yours. So don't go makin' it a habit.”

Lucy could feel her face go warm in response to the serious tone in the typically childish Dragon Slayer’s voice. Normally, she’d be uncomfortable or embarrassed, but not today. She returned his embrace and the pair stood there in intense silence for several minutes. 


End file.
